The U.S. national energy economy relies primarily on fossil fuel resources to power and heat our homes and commercially used facilities. According to reports, in 2002 less than 2% of the energy consumed in the United States was supplied by renewable energy sources such as hydroelectric, wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass. As non-renewable fossil fuel resources are consumed and depleted it becomes increasingly critical to manage our nation's energy needs.
A significant percentage of the energy consumed within the United States is used to run electrical lighting systems. While these lighting systems provide the light necessary for the maintenance of our facilities they also allow for energy waste. The typical lighting systems used in America utilize bulbs which expel light in 360 degrees though light is only needed in the area beneath or in front of the light source. Reflective surfaces have been used to direct most of the expelled light downward, but this configuration fails to take advantage of the light as an energy resource.
Photovoltaic cells use semiconductor technology to convert light into electric current without utilizing moving parts, burning fuel, or producing pollution. When light strikes the surface of a photovoltaic cell, electrons are dislodged and this produces a current of electricity. Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein provide for an arrangement of photovoltaic cells and an electrical light source, e.g., a fluorescent light bulb or plurality of said bulbs, in which the photovoltaic sensors convert radiation emitted from the light source into electrical current, which may then be routed back into the light source or to another electrical device via a conducting means.
Photovoltaic cells are commonly used outdoors where they convert the sun's light into electrical energy. Twenty to thirty percent of the sunlight that passes through photovoltaic cells is typically converted directly into electricity. The indoor use of photovoltaic cells is less common but known. The known art provides for photovoltaic cells that utilize electrical light sources to power small indoor appliances, but fails to show how photovoltaic cells may be incorporated into indoor electric light generating systems as means for reducing the overall energy consumption of the system.
In brief, an exemplary embodiment may comprise an array of photovoltaic elements as means for converting a portion of the radiation emitted from an electrical light source into electrical current which may then be reintroduced to the system as a means of reducing overall energy consumption. The photovoltaic elements are aligned with the electrical light source in a manner such that they may absorb a portion of the emitted radiation without interfering with the emitted light's functionality.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention disclosed herein has wide applications including, but not limited to, reducing the overall energy consumed by homes and commercial properties by recapturing a portion of the energy expelled from indoor electric light sources, converting that energy into electrical current, and reintroducing that electrical current into the electric light source or into some other energy expenditure, such as within the homes and commercial properties.
Further features of the invention will be described or will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description.